Wishin’ I was at Bonnaroo.
Also I bought Fest 10 tickets last night because they were 85% gone and go up to $100 (!) tomorrow. So now I’m poor but this fall is going to be insane for concerts.
Last night was so much fucking fun. I think I set a record for making it to Gainesville the fastest, having left around 4:45 and getting there at 6:15.
Before getting to the venue I managed to kill a can of beer and 30 oz of a 40. When we all got there Ninja Gun had just gotten on. They pretty good. The place was mostly still empty. They ended their set by saying “This last one’s an alt-country song”, and then proceeding to cover a Black Sabbath song, which was pretty great.
Fake Problems more people came in and it was so good. They played new stuff and old stuff. Screaming Born & Raised was a highlight. Also during their set there was this creepy guy who kept trying to hit on Tatum and Michelle. At some point he got frustrated with them and ran for the stage, jumped onto it, stood next to Chris Farren said something and instead of stage diving, stood there as the song ended. And didn’t do anything. Chris told him he had to get off and he stood there for a little while longer before just hopping off, which was funny and weird and definately memorable, for whatever reason.
When Against Me! came on the alcohol had hit me, the place was packed and everyone was dripping sweat. Absolutely everyone’s hair was matted to their heads, wet with sweat, skin slick and slippery, beer flying everywhere, salt burning your eyes. If you want an idea of how crazy hot it was in there, my socks, shirt and jeans were still wet the next morning (and I took them off when I got back to my friends’ place that night). But its was kind of awesome in a gross and fun way.
The Against Me! set was awesome. They went straight from one song directly into another, without stops inbewteen. That created this intense atmosphere. As far the songs, it was everything. It started with Pints of Guiness and then went to newer songs off of New Wave and their latest album, alternating every other song. I don’t know the newest stuff but it was still great. That set must have gone on almost two hours and it was just absolutely crazy. The irony of playing I Was a Teenage Anarchist and Baby, I’m an Anarchist (their closing song) in the same set was lost on most, but it was the point of the show. It was to kick off the farewell month for Common Grounds, which is going away after 15 years. But honestly, so many people want to buy it, the owners of it now want someone to continue it and there’s no way October is going to come and go with the Fest 10 and no venue where the Common Grounds stands now.
Oh and my glasses totally got eaten by the show. Good thing I have an old pair.
Exile Villify by The National
Just beat Portal 2 (amazing, by the way). I noticed The National was credited in the end and so I looked it up and wouldn’t you know, they made a song just for the game? It’s pretty good too. Add that to a list an ever-growing list of artists contributing original music to videogames, one that only serves to bolster the fact that its a legitimate and maturing storytelling medium.
So I just recently realized how well covered Kiss the Bottle was. I found it first as Lucero song, and will always like that one the most. But the Jawbreakers original is awesome too. Brenden Kelly did a cover of it that was pretty bad ass. Oh, and apparently the Foo Fighters? That one sounds like shit.
But also the orignal Jawbreakers song sounds like he’s saying I kissed the butthole. JUST ME OR HIDDEN MESSAGE UNCOVERED? You decide.
I really wish I could go see Ben Nichols tonight. But no one wants to/can go. And I should probably just study for my finals. But damn, I was really looking forward to watching him get drunk and forget his lyrics and getting to see him play again, have fun after a long semester and fuck, I just really wanted to go.
I watch parts of the Weakerthans Live at Burton Cummings Theater DVD every few weeks. That album/DVD makes me some happy. The band plays various songs from their discography, changing some of them up a bit. Christine Fellows provides backup out the wazoo, which I love. And the part where John K. Samson brings up the guy from Mexico to play guitar? I luh da shii. I can’t wait to get awesome speakers for my TV one day and just sink into this DVD.
This song is makin me so happy right now. I love the chiptunes in this song. So good. The only problem is that I can’t find their full ep for purchase in the US and the seedy ways I would also employ have turned up nothing. But I’ll find a way, because Team Me sounds worth the while to me.
If I can find someone to go with, I am definitely going to see The Cave Singers tomorrow. Dear God, eargasm.
So I saw Fake Problems with everyone tonight at the Social and at Park Ave.
Photos with Lee, a little of Joe, and Chris Farrren from the band yo!